What's your best advice for a mom struggling with cooking for children with food allergies?

What's your favorite allergy friendly product?

What's the biggest challenge raising a child with food allergies?

Jessica's Answers

What is your favorite quick breakfast recipe?

I'm a huge fan of any quick recipe. I love breakfast burritos which is simply a warm corn tortilla filled with eggs, cheese, and bacon (can even be that microwaved kind). I also think that pancakes are a pretty quick breakfast. Especially if you make them and freeze them. Pancakes freeze suprisingly well. Then on weekdays they can be popped into the microwave for a quick breakfast.

What's your family's favorite easy crock pot recipe?

I am a HUGE fan of the loaded potato soup recipe for my crock pot. It tastes amazing and it is super easy to make. You can tailor the toppers according to your own family's favorites. It is one of my favorites for those chilly Fall and Winter evenings.

What's your family's favorite recipe for weekend breakfasts?

I'm a huge fan of waffles. They aren't very difficult to make, but they feel "special". I always make extra to put into the freezer for a quick breakfast later on. I have shared a fun waffle recipe with you for Apple Cider Doughnut Belgian Waffles....they are simply amazing!!

What's a great treat for spring or Easter? (Please include a link!)

Spring makes me think of light and fruity treats. Strawberries are one of my favorites..... Today I'm sharing my favorite recipe for gluten free melt in your mouth Strawberry Shortcake. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What's your favorite easy recipe for an Easter or Passover meal?

Ham is the meat of choice at Easter in our family. I recently had trouble finding a "cheap" gluten free glazed ham. I decided to purchase unglazed and create my own glaze to put ontop....which saved me some major money!!! Here is my blog post with the glazed ham recipe. http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-ham-dilemma-and-ham-glaze-recipe.html

Pasta salad used to be a favorite of mine before being diagnosed with Celiac. So I am always on the search for great pasta salad recipes. Gluten free pasta salad can be tricky. You have to start with amazing pasta for it to work. I have found my brand that works and now I enjoy trying and creating all sorts of gluten free pasta salads. Here is a fun one that I created called Everything But The Kitchen Sink Italian Pasta Salad. I hope you enjoy it. http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2012/01/everything-but-kitchen-sink-italian.html

What's a great recipe using ground beef?

I never understood ,when growing up,why kids hated meatloaf. My Mom made amazing meatloaf. This is her recipe that I have converted to gluten free. It is comfort food to me. LOVE IT!! http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-and-sour-meatloafthe-meatloaf-of.html

Please share a link to a photo of a great birthday cake you made or bought.

Each year for my birthday I request to be made, or often end up making myself gluten free Better Than Bow Chicka WOW WOW Cake (Better than S-E-X). It is super amazing!! The chocolate, the caramel, oh my........so good!You can find the recipe for that here: http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/better-than-bow-chicka-wow-wow-s-e-x.html
Also, this is a link to a picture of a cake that I made for my Mom's last birthday. Completely gluten free cake. I thought it turned out very cute! http://pinterest.com/pin/168251736048326732/

Can you recommend a great summer snack to feed kids on break or to pack for days at camp? (Please include a link to the recipe.)

I love making these bars and keeping them in the refrigerator or freezer. They are a great grab and go breakfast or snack. Plus they combine my two favorites...peanut butter and chocolate!! They are super easy to make. Double the recipe because they will go fast!
http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2012/05/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-breakfast.html

What's a family-friendly recipe that would be perfect for a summer or Fourth of July gathering -- whether it's a grilled dish, a simple side or festive treat? (Please share a link to a photo)

This gluten free pasta salad is great for bbq's! It doesn't have any of those creamy ingredients that can make you sick at picnics. It can be made a day or two ahead of your party and did I mention it is YUMMY?!?!
http://usasillyyaks.blogspot.com/2012/06/pasta-salad-and-trip-to-farmers-market.html

What's a great finger food that your kids love? Please include a link.

Before being diagnosed with Celiac and going gluten free I was a fan of Mozzarella Cheese sticks....well those are of course not gluten free. I decided to create my own and came up with these yummy Gluten Free Mozzarella Cheese Bites. Serve them with some pizza sauce for dipping and I can guarantee they won't be around for long!